Known electrical connections with a high voltage applied or high currents to be transmitted are capable of being locked, or secured against disconnection. Such locking avoids arcing and consequent damage of connection components.
E-mobility vehicles, for instance electric or hybrid cars, establish an electrical connection during charging only if a plug connector of the charging station is securely and completely plugged into a charge inlet of the e-mobility vehicle. E-mobility vehicles apply known actuators in the charge inlet or the plug connector of the charging station. Those actuators comprise a locking member which is movable from an unlocking position to a locking position. In the unlocking position of the locking member, the charge inlet and the plug connector of the charging station may be removably plugged to each other or disconnected. In the locking position of the locking member, the charge inlet and the plug connector are positively locked and may not be disconnected or unplugged. The locking position of the locking member may further prevent the charge inlet and the plug connector from being mechanically plugged together.
In known e-mobility vehicle actuators, the locked or unlocked status of the locking member is difficult to detect and only a determination of a locked or unlocked state is available, which can lead to unsecured charging of the e-mobility vehicle. Further, after electrically disconnecting the charge inlet of known e-mobility vehicles from the plug connector of the charging station, the locking member is not reliably triggered to unlock the mechanical connection between the charge inlet and the plug connector, preventing mechanical disconnection.